The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has confirmed that all health centres affiliated to the corporation are keen to provide services to all patients without delay.
The Executive Director of the Employment Department at PHCC Dr Samya al-Abdulla said that, under the current circumstances and in the framework of the preventive and precautionary measures taken by the healthcare institution, the usual work mechanisms in health centres have been changed.  
The PHCC has adopted many measures to reduce the number of patients at the health centres with the aim of avoiding congestion and reducing the chances of spreading the infection of Covid-19. 
She added that among these mechanisms are the transfer of appointments registered in some specialities to telephone consulting service and launching other services that contribute to empowering patients and facilitating quick access to health services and medical consultations.
She explained that some important services have continued for patients. These are healthy child clinics and vaccinations, ultrasound radiology clinics, and pre-marital examination clinics that are currently available in Leabaib, Airport, Al Khor, Al Rayyan, and the West Bay health centres, as well as specialised clinics accepting urgent cases.
Al-Abdulla said that patients must visit the health centres only when necessary and in the event of an actual need for medical advice, and patients can obtain periodic health services through the electronic and virtual services provided by the institution remotely. 
She explained that the urgent care units in Muaither, Abu Bakr, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Shahaniya, Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Al Kaaban, and Al Ruwais health centres are still operating at full capacity as usual throughout the week and around the clock.
Dr al-Abdulla pointed out that all health centres receive patients without prior appointments and in all specialities.
She said that within the framework of the state’s plan to confront the spread of the pandemic, 4 health centres - Muaither, Rawdat Al Khail,Gharrafat Al Rayyan, and Umm Salal -  have been designated as facilities dedicated to examining suspected cases of coronavirus (Covid-19). These health centres have been provided with all the necessary medical equipment and required personnel. Except Umm Salal health centre, the rest operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Umm Salal health centre is open from 7am-11pm. 
Work in these centres is performed in co-ordination with the Ministry of Public Health, where suspected Covid-19 cases are received, classified and dealt with according to the rules and the procedures followed in this regard.
Dr Samya al-Abdulla explained the functioning of  the newly launched electronic and virtual services, which are the telephone counselling service, community call centre, drug home delivery service, electronic medical certification service, and support for diabetics and their proactive treatment. These services come as a substitute for traditional face-to-face counselling with the doctor.
These services contribute to reducing congestion at health centres and help in maintaining a safe distance between patients. 
Dr al-Abdulla explained that through the telephone counselling services, health centre doctors contact the patients according to their pre-determined appointments. The doctor can see the patient’s electronic file and diagnose the patient then place any orders for drugs or any necessary medical transfers in the electronic system.
This service is provided from Sunday to Thursday from 7am until 11pm.
She revealed that since the inauguration of the service on March 18, and until April 20, doctors have called high priority patients, who had prior appointments. Some 49,341 calls were made, through which the necessary medical support and required consultations were provided.
Also, Dr al-Abdulla said that since April 15, the second phase has been inaugurated, where patients can now book an appointment for telephone consultations through the hotline 107 for most specialities, including dental consulting services.
The Community Call Centre works seven days a week from 7am until 11pm.
She said that the Community Call Centre provides services for patients who need urgent medical advice without an appointment. Patients can call 16000 and be transferred to the institution’s call centre, which provides virtual medical consultation service “call and videocall”. Beneficiaries get medical consultations required by specialists, diagnosis of their condition, and the prescriptions for medications if necessary.
She explained that since the service was launched on March 29, and until April 20, some 13,703 calls were answered and 4,531 medical consultations were provided by phone through specialised doctors, as well as 377 consultations on video calling service, while the waiting time per call for answer was a minute and a half.
Furthermore, the Community Call Centre has launched “Chatbot” for interactive conversations. This service  is available on MoPH website, PHCC website, and Hukoomi website. It provides a self-assessment service for the coronavirus through an interactive conversation.
Regarding the electronic medical certificates service, Dr al-Abdulla said that this new service will allow patients to request a medical certificate online. The medical certificate is issued electronically through the PHCC’s website, using the health card number.
She added that this service is available to all patients registered with PHCC who need a report on their health status or for those with chronic diseases or pregnant women to provide them to employers.
She revealed the PHCC has launched the virtual diabetes clinic in co-operation with the MoPH and the Hamad Medical Corporation as a new step to communicate with diabetic patients and ensure their proactive treatment as part of the preventive strategy to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection in addition to receiving the regular care needed to manage their condition, as diabetics are more at risk due to their weak immune system.
On medicine delivery services to homes, Dr al-Abdulla  clarified that the service was launched on March 25 in co-operation with Qatar Post to ensure the safety of all health centre patients, especially those suffering from chronic diseases and the elderly. Each health centre has a WhatsApp number to communicate with patients on these numbers from Sunday to Thursday from 8am until 2pm and from 4pm until 10pm.
These numbers can be obtained from the PHCC website and official accounts on social network platforms to request the necessary drugs, as well as injections (insulin) and sugar measuring device tapes. The pharmacist will request some patient data to dispense the medicines and deliver them via Qatar Post within two working days of receiving the request. The service is available for all cases and priority is given for patients with chronic diseases and the elderly who need to re-dispense drugs periodically.
Dr al-Abdulla revealed that since the service was launched on March 25 about 6,000 patients have benefited from the service, and the average daily delivery of medicines has reached nearly 700 patients.